


Operation Alera

by CecilsUnstoppableGayness



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: There isn’t much solinh but they’re cute, also the only thing I’ve ever written with no swears, literally just some cute bs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:08:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29315343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CecilsUnstoppableGayness/pseuds/CecilsUnstoppableGayness
Summary: Sophie, Linh, Livvy, and Juline save a moonlark. I have not edited this and I do not remember the beginning now that I’ve written the end and also I’m too lazy to format it properly but tbh y’all will come get ur fluff from me no matter what so...
Relationships: Sophie Foster/Linh Song
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	Operation Alera

“Can you hear that?”   
Sophie and Linh were walking hand in hand down the beach by the moonlark nest. The sky was overcast, and a cool breeze rolled off the sea. Linh had her boots off, and she buried her feet in the sand with every step. Sophie was still all done up from the meeting earlier, but her hair was loose and floating around her head.   
“What?”  
“Can you hear that? Or is it a telepath thing?”  
“I can hear the nest, is there something else?” Linh looked at Sophie, silver eyes full of concern.  
“There is something- it’s-“  
An egg hatching. Vivid grey ocean tossing and swirling around the little egg in its little nest. So small in such a large place, and so alone. A tiny little song for courage, it blends with the wind.  
“-one of the moonlarks.”  
“Really?”  
Sophie’s brow furrowed. “It’s very clear. Not words, though, it’s speaking with-“  
An eternal, choking depth. One tiny, frail white wing that won’t flap right. Poor little bird, lost under the waves.  
And sadness. Such sadness.  
Someone missing her. Someone mourning her.  
Someone alone.  
“-images.”   
“What’s it saying?”  
“I think... it’s child is hurt. I don’t know what it wants-“  
A view from the sky of Sophie hovering over the water. Gentle hands fixing the little bird’s wing. She flies away. She is safe. The watcher is happy.   
“What’s he saying?”  
Linh was bouncing on her toes.  
“We need to save his baby.”  
Her eyes went wide. “Of course we do! Poor little thing, it must be so scared...”  
Sophie realized she was sitting on the stand. She stood purposefully and grabbed Linh’s hand, dragging her towards Brumevale.  
“We need Livvy for this. Come on.”

“A moonlark spoke to you in images and told you to save his baby?”  
“Yes. Her wing is hurt.”  
Livvy looked amused.   
“Please, Livvy, the baby!” Linh looked distraught.  
“I’m coming, don’t you worry. I’ll get a kit and meet you on the beach. Now you,” she looked at Sophie, “need to come up with a plan to get to the little one. We can’t take her out of the water, not if she’s just hatched.”  
Sophie tapped her fingers against the inside of her wrist.  
“I can teleport us out there, the parent will show me where she is if I ask, but we can’t levitate the whole time, but- Linh, can you hold us up, you think?”  
“Not indefinitely, but! I can hold the water steady and Juline can freeze it for us to stand on, and then I can hold the baby up while Livvy works.”  
“Brilliant.” Sophie was already bolting down the stairs.

“Alright, what’s the plan?” Juline, her dress mostly wrapped in crystals of ice, stood on the beach. Linh was beside her, hair tied back into two buns at the back of her neck. Livvy, in trousers and boots and carrying her field kit, was on Juline’s other side. Sophie, hair in a ponytail, black tunic flapping in the breeze, faced them. She had a moonlark perched on her shoulder.  
“The plan goes as follows. This good sir, who wishes to be referred to as Henry, will give me an image to teleport to. I will then bring everyone to the top of that cliff and teleport us. The landing will be the most difficult part, because we need to exit the void high enough above the sea to stop ourselves and levitate. Once we have done this and not crashed into the sea, Linh will make the water under us still, and Juline will freeze us somewhere to stand. Her task from then on will just be to keep the waves from breaking it apart. Next, Linh will scoop up a little ball of water around the baby, and Livvy will get to work. I will continue to communicate with Henry and the baby about the process, so they know what is going on and can tell Livvy if something hurts. Any questions?”  
“Yes!” Linh raised her hand.  
Sophie gave her a teasing smile. “Yes, Miss Linh?”  
Linh kicked sand at her. “Why Henry?”  
Sophie shrugged. “I asked what to call him and he said Henry. Who am I to question his choice of name?”  
Linh nodded as if this made all the sense in the world. Juline and Livvy both chuckled.

Sophie wrapped Linh’s fingers in hers. Livvy held her other hand.   
“You guys ready?”  
“Affirmative, Lady Foster.”  
“Okay, shut up, Linh.”  
She unfurled her mind into the sky.   
Henry? We’re ready.  
The clouds has massive crests, and the sun behind one of them makes warm light and lifting wind to carry you up into the sky.  
Sophie drew the image in her mind, and stepped forward, tugging the others with her.   
The clouds were indistinguishable as they fell up into the sky. Sophie twisted, trying to get her bearings. Linh’s hand gripped hers. She centered herself around it. She pushed against the grey flash of the ocean, finding leverage and slowing herself. Eventually she pulled to a halt. The ocean was far enough below her to look intimidating, and she could just barely see the shore in the distance.  
“We all alive?”  
“Yep!” Livvy was on her left, balanced neatly on one foot. Juline looked slightly less stable, but she looked alright; a little cloud of ice crystals was forming around her.  
“Are you ok?” Linh was still holding her hand. She looked impeccable as always, the light off the sea made her eyes seem to glow. Sophie smiled stupidly at her.  
“Yeah, I’m fine.”   
Linh smiled back.  
“Alright, where’s the baby?” Juline asked. “I don’t want to make the ice over her.”  
Sophie flicked across the waves, searching. She could hear the baby crying, a tiny voice amidst the wailing sea.  
“There.” On the crest of a wave. Linh released Sophie’s hand and carefully scooped the tip off the wave Sophie was pointing to, making an orb of water between her hands. She squealed with glee.  
“Oh! Oh she’s so small! Look at her pretty little wings!” Linh held out the ball so Sophie could see.   
“Awwww.” Sophie reached out with a finger and carefully patted the baby’s head. “We’re going to take care of you, little one.”  
“Ready to put us down, Jules?” Livvy called.   
Juline nodded her answer. She stared at the surface of the water, seemingly concentrating on its movement. Then, without warning, she dropped herself, landing with first one frozen boot and then the other. With a snap, a floret of ice spread from the toe of her boot, making a perfect circle of ice across one of the waves. She twisted her hands and swept them around, making an edge to the icy craft so it wouldn’t tip them off. She finished with a flourish towards Livvy, who applauded as she landed.  
“Spectacular, Jules. Really cool.”  
Juline tossed her hair dramatically, and they both laughed.   
Sophie and Linh touched down delicately across from them, Linh still whispering sweetly to the baby. Livvy put her bag down and walked over, Juline countering her to keep the craft balanced.   
“Alrighty, where’s the little invalid?” She knelt in front of Linh, who held out the baby on her orb. Sophie knelt next to Livvy.  
One of the baby’s delicate little wings was stretched out over the edge of the nest, at a messy angle.  
“Oh, poor little love. What have you done to your wing, dear one?” Livvy spoke more gently than they had heard her speak before.   
Linh made a small, distressed noise.   
Sophie could feel Henry’s concern at the back of her mind.  
“Is she going to be alright?”  
“Oh yeah, don’t panic. She’s going to be just fine. Juline, can you make me a tiny little icicle? Like a little tube?”  
“Here-“ Linh twisted a thin stream of water up off the orb. Juline touched it and froze it, and Livvy broke it off.  
“Sophie, look in the bag for some dark fabric, please.”  
Sophie pulled the bag around to her and rummaged through it.  
Suddenly she started laughing. “There’s this.” She pulled out an expensive black silk shirt from the bag. Livvy glanced up and she cackled too.   
“Oh that’s for emergencies. He’ll be *mad.*”  
Sophie laughed harder, borderline on maniacally. “He can die mad.”  
She tore a long strip off it and wrapped it around the ice before handing it back to Livvy. Livvy delicately ticked it under the baby’s wing. She cried out, and Sophie reached out to her to comfort her.  
“Oh, careful, Liv, that really hurts.”  
“I’m being as careful as I can be, tell her it’ll be over soon.”  
“I’m telling her, she’s almost too little to understand.”  
The baby flapped her good wing and cried some more. Livvy took her hand away.  
“Tell Henry to comfort her.” Linh suggested, in between whispering gently to the baby. Sophie reached out to him. He was already swooping down. As they watched, he landed on the orb next to the baby, and nestled down besides her, tucking her partially under his wing.  
Can you get her to keep her wing out?  
Hurting.  
I know, but Livvy can fix it. It won’t be long.  
Gentle hands.  
Yes, gentle hands. I promise.  
Henry gave Sophie a long look, and then gently tucked his beak under her wing and spread it out across the icicle. The baby nestled her head into his feathers, muffling her crying. Sophie focused on sending calming, cool feelings towards them.   
What’s the baby’s name?  
Alera.  
Beautiful.  
Plucking fruits with your beak, and then the idea of self.  
Sophie tipped her head.   
What?  
Henry just stared at her.  
Do... do you mean you picked her name yourself? Is that it?  
Henry chirped happily. Sophie smiled.  
“What’re you saying to them?” Linh asked quietly.  
“The baby’s name is Alera.”  
“Awww.” Linh grinned adorably. “That’s so cute.”  
“Henry’s proud of it, he picked it himself.”  
“This is probably the best thing we’ve ever done.”  
“It’s pretty wonderful.”   
Sophie nudged Linh’s shoulder, and nudged her back, leaving her head on Sophie’s shoulder.  
“You tired? Should I enhance you?”  
“I’ve got it... just tired is all.”  
Sophie ran her fingers through Linh’s hair, holding her head against her shoulder.   
Alera had stopped crying, but her face was still nestled into Henry’s chest. His beak fiddled with the crest on her tiny head.   
Livvy took her hands away. “There! All done, little angel.” She looked to Sophie. “How’s it feel?”  
Alera flexed her tiny wing.  
“She says it feels hot.”  
“Well we can help with that, can’t we?”  
Livvy stood and backed away, and Juline countered her again, kneeling beside them.   
“Do you think you might be able to pull the water away from her wing? I don’t want to freeze the whole thing.”  
“Ok... that I might need enhancing for.”   
Sophie wrapped her hand around Linh’s fingers. They were cold, so she squeezed them a little tighter than she needed to, and gently dripped energy into Linh’s hands, making sure she could convert it into a function without overloading her. Linh bent one of her fingers slowly, making a little cup where Alera’s wing was. Juline lowered her head and blew gently across her wing. Her breath made a pattern of diamonds across Alera’s feathers, and she ruffled her wings to shake them off. She made a light, happy sound, and Linh giggled with delight.  
“Oh, she’s all happy! This is so cute!”   
Henry carefully nudged Alera into the orb of water, and she spun in a circle, her tail splashing him playfully. He ruffled his feathers and opened his wings to take off.  
“Make sure to watch her,” Livvy told him, “and tell Sophie if either of you need anything.”  
Henry flapped off.   
“He will.” Sophie said.  
Linh gently set Alera back into the water. She called out to them again, and then slid away across the waves. Linh sighed into Sophie, and she put her arms around Linh’s waist. Livvy gave them a look and Juline swatted her arm.  
“Good work, team.” Sophie said.   
They stood in silence, watching the grey sky with the darts of white that dipped through it to the deep blue waves.   
“Do you think you can get back without me?” Linh asked. “I can probably get us back, but...”  
“No worries, kiddo.” Livvy said cheerfully. “Jules and I have got this.” She turned towards Juline, who winked before snapping her fingers. A delicate film of frost slid from her, making a sail that hung across the center of the boat. Livvy reached into her bag and pulled out a whirlwind.   
“Hold on, ladies.”  
“Liv-“ Sophie was cut off by the roar of the wind sweeping them away.

Livvy’s bag spilled as they docked, and Sophie knelt to help pack it again. As she put the now ruined shirt back into the bag, she thought of Henry singing to Alera and tore a button off. Livvy pretended she didn’t notice.   
Tiergan met them on the beach.   
“Tierg!” Linh shouted. “We saved a baby moonlark! It was so small, and cute, and her name was Alera, and her dad told Sophie to save her cause her little wing was broken, and then we did!”   
Tiergan smiled at them. “Sounds exciting.”  
“It was,” Sophie agreed. “She was very small and fragile, but she perked right up when Livvy helped her. And Henry, that’s her dad’s name, even came and comforted her and it was extremely adorable. Also we ripped the emergency shirt.”  
Tiergan gasped, and then burst out laughing. “Oh, he’ll be furious!”  
“I know!” Sophie leaned on the shoulder that Linh hadn’t taken.   
“One question though,”  
“Yes?”  
“Why Henry?”


End file.
